Friendship in Orange
by Stixer111
Summary: A story that starts with a favor to Usaida and ends with a new addition to the Kashima-Kamitani household (Stand-Alone in the Flowers Pressed Into My Skin verse)


_**A/N- Anonymous on Tumblr asked: i love love love your 5+1. are you still accepting prompts? if so, i'd like to request hayaryuu going on a trip? :) or if not maybe adopting a pet?**_

 _ **Thank you! I'm going to go with the pet one because it fits in pretty well with my tattoo/flowershop AU, set sometime after they're happily married.**_

* * *

Ryu opened the apartment door onto a familiar argument.

"But why _can't_ I get a tattoo!?"

"Because, for the five-hundredth time, I'm not giving you one until you're eighteen. And only with the old lady's permission."

"So what, you're scared of mom now?"

"Yes."

Ryu bit back a smile at Taka's pout as he hung up his coat and made his way to dining table where the Kamitani brothers were seated. Kotaro had long given up on following the argument and was doodling in the back of his workbook. Group study days often ended like this, and he had quite an impressive scene sketched on that blank last page. Taka perked up, finally noticing Ryu's entry.

"Ryu-nii! Tell Aniki that I'm totally old enough to get a tattoo!"

"Sorry Taka-kun, but I'm going to have to agree with your brother on this one." said Ryu, pausing to press a kiss to his husband's temple. Hayato smiled softly up at him, angling his face for a peck on the lips. Taka made a face at the display of affection, but let the subject drop.

"Did you guys finish your work?" He asked Kotaro, who nodded in response.

"Can we play Brawl now?" he asked hopefully.

"Go for it." said Ryu, laughing as the both boys scrambled out of their chairs and rushed to the couch. He settled himself in Kotaro's vacated seat.

"Long day at work?" asked Hayato, passing him a half finished mug of tea, still just warm enough to drink.

"Long and boring. You?"

"A girl came in wanting me to alter her ex's name."

Ryu winced. "How did you cover it up?"

"Turned it into a bouquet of spider lilies and orange lilies." Hayato shrugged "She seemed mad about the break-up."

Ryu laughed, long and deep. "At least some good has come out of you learning hankotoba." He wiped at the tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "Oh before I forget, will you come with me to the animal shelter tomorrow?"

"This is sudden."

"Well, you know how Usaida-san sells the plush toys he makes in his spare time?"

"Yeah?"

"It turns out, he uses the profits to buy supplies for the animal shelter. Only he had something come up last minute this week, so he asked if I could drop them off for him."

"And of course, you said yes."

Ryu nodded.

"You're too kind for your own good, Ryu." Hayato sighed "What time tomorrow?"

XXX

Too damn early. That was the time. The animal shelter was 45 minutes away from their apartment by car, they hadn't even picked up the delivery from Usaida's place, Ryu had apparently been given strict instructions to drop the supplies off right when the shelter opened. Hayato tried not to roll his eyes at what he imagined was Usaida's impression of 'strict'. It was not impressive.

What _was_ impressive was the sheer amount of pet supplies on the man's doorstep. Boxes of toys for both dogs and cats, massive bags of pet food, sacks of bird feed and leafy vegetables, and at least a month's worth of newspapers, all marked in Usaida's neat print. A yellow sticky note on top of one of the boxes thanked them for the help. Hayato snorted as he hauled the supplies to the car, but appreciated the gesture never the less.

Everything but the toys and newspaper managed to fit in the boot. He piled the remainder into the back seat with Kotaro. The kid had found out where they were going after Tak a had gone home and had begged to come along. Now he was fast asleep in the back seat, curled against one of the doors. Hayato double checked the lock on that side before sliding back into the driver's seat and gearing up for a ride into the outskirts.

Ryu shot him a sheepish smile from the passenger seat.

"Sorry about this."

"What's there to be sorry about, it's not like you forced me into it." Not that Ryu could ever force him into anything. If he asked him to jump into a pool of lava, he'd do it without hesitation.

"Still, it was my responsibility. And it's so early…"

"Ryu. It's okay. I like spending time with you."

Ryu beamed at him, and he let himself grin, despite the blush creeping up the cheeks. He wasn't lying. Driving into the countryside in the golden hours of dawn with Ryu by side and Kotaro's gentle snores from the back seat had him feeling more peaceful than he had in a long while.

XXX

To Ryu's relief they made it just as the manager was opening up the main office. Thankfully, Usaida had called ahead and explained the situation. Ryu gently shook Kotaro awake, and the two helped Hayato unload the car. They passed the supplies to a pair of deceptively strong young women, who accepted them with a smile. Despite the early hour, the air was filled with excited yips and plaintive mewls that had Kotaro looking past the gate curiously. The manager, who had introduced himself as Endo Takashi, caught his look and grinned.

"Would you like to meet the rest of the family?" he asked.

"Yes please!" Kotaro said, belatedly looking back at him for permission.

He exchanged a look with Hayato. A look around wouldn't hurt. They had come so far after all.

XXX

When they stepped into the lobby Hayato was greeted with paws on his shoulders and a cold nose in the crook of his neck. He yelped and stumbled backwards as the large German Shepherd continued to sniff at him curiously.

"Shut it, you." he growled, swiping half-heartedly at a giggling Kotaro.

"Sorry about that," said Endo laughing "This is Kuma, he's our receptionist."

The big dog had turned his attention to Ryu who knelt down to pet him. Kuma seemed to like it, flopping down, his mouth falling open into a doggy grin and his tongue lolling. Kotaro took it has an invitation to run his fingers through the soft fur, and made a noise of surprise.

"He's so fluffy!" he said in awe.

The dog gave a pleased bark, as though he understood the compliment.

"Kuma-san, shall we go visiting?" asked Endo.

The dog barked again, hoisting himself to his feet and heading for the back door. He paused and turned around, tail wagging as though asking why they weren't following. Hayato exchanged a bemused look with Ryu, before following Endo and Kuma out the door.

They were met by gravel path ending in a heavy gate which opened into a large, fenced in yard. Dogs of every size, breed, and colour gambolled around playfully, dozed peacefully in the shade of the few tall trees in the yard, and darted in and out of brightly painted dog houses. A few stopped what they were doing to inspect the newcomers, making Kotaro laugh as they tried to lick his face.

"This is the yard. We let the dogs out to play here most of the time, and put them in the kennels at night, or when it rains." Endo explained.

Hayato watched Kotaro and Ryu fawn over the dogs for a bit when he noticed a forgotten tennis ball half hidden in the grass. He tossed it from hand to hand, pretending not to notice the dogs gathered around him. Suddenly he wound back and tossed it into the distance, setting off a cacophony of barks as they chased after it. The victorious dog, a scruffy mutt that may have had some Labrador in his ancestry, came trotting back and dropped the ball by his feet.

"Watch out." Endo said "They can keep it up all day if you let them."

Hayato grinned. "So can I."

XXX

Ryu was reluctant to leave the dogs, but Endo guided them towards the small animal shed with Kuma leading the way. The way the big dog herded the scurrying guinea pigs with his snout had him in stitches in no time, and a quick glance at his brother found Kotaro happily playing with some rabbits. The bird house was next, where they were greeted by an exceptionally polite Mynah and Hayato had a whistling competition with some canaries.

"And now, the final stop." Endo exclaimed, pushing open a faded red door. "Welcome to the cattery."

Kuma had flopped down in front of the door, head between his paws. Endo reached down to scratch behind his ears. "Kuma-san won't come inside, he gets bullied by some of the older cats." Kuma gave a sigh that somehow managed to sound long-suffering, and Ryu made sure to pet him properly before entering the building.

Toys hung from the ceiling at perfect swatting height, a variety of climbing structures and scratching posts were tucked away in various corners, and the floor was littered with an equal amount of cute beds and empty cardboard boxes. Beyond this room was a set of cubby-like cages, some of which held more cats.

"Those are the ones we can't let out yet." explained Endo. "Either because they're too small, too weak, or don't play well with the others."

A dark grey Persian was the first to notice them, making his way towards Ryu and twining herself between his legs. He knelt down to scratch her chin and she let out a low purr, which was enough to get the attention of the others, and Ryu soon found himself swarmed.

"Haya-nii! Nii-chan! Look at this!" called Kotaro from the far corner of the room. He was standing by a gate that separated playroom from the cages. A tiny orange kitten no bigger than his shoe was determinedly batting at the lock of his cage. He noticed their gaze, and meowed pitifully.

"Ah our little escape artist." said Endo with a chuckle "He's recovering from an eye infection so we can't let him out yet. As you can see, he's not very happy with the situation."

Ryu noticed Kotaro's eyes shining as he looked at the kitten.

"Does he have a name?" he asked Endo

"Not yet, we don't usually name the puppies and kittens, they tend to get adopted pretty quickly. Though I don't know if that will be the case with this one, he's a bit of a troublemaker."

"I see." He said, stealing a look at Hayato, who seemed preoccupied with the way the kitten was attempting to climb the wire door of its cage. He couldn't blame him, there was something intriguing about the little orange puffball and his piercing blue eyes.

XXX

Ryu had been unusually quiet after their trip to the shelter, and Hayato was starting to worry. Kotaro too had been subdued until they suggested he ask Usaida, who volunteered every weekend, if he could accompany him the next time he went. Ryu's silence was different, more thoughtful, and Hayato had a sneaking suspicion as to what had him so preoccupied. He would be lying if he hadn't thought about it too.

He approached the topic that evening as they sat curled together on the couch, Hayato with his sketchbook and Ryu with a novel. He could tell his husband's mind was miles away from the words on the page, and he wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. His thumb traced the spot on his back where he knew Ryu's falcon tattoo was hidden under his thin cotton t-shirt.

"You're thinking of the cat, aren't you?"

Ryu jumped guiltily, but nodded. "He's just so small, and he's all alone."

"In that place? He's hardly alone."

"You know what I mean!"

Hayato ran a hand through his hair and tapped his pencil against the spiral binding of his sketchbook. He liked the feisty little creature too, but someone had to be practical

"Having a pet is a big responsibility. We work weird hours."

Ryu sighed "I know, but it would be nice."

Hayato hummed. "Yeah, it would." he said, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. Ryu tilted his face up towards him with a shy smile, and the topic was dropped in favour of more pleasant activities.

Usaida had agreed to take Kotaro and Taka (who was insanely jealous that Kotaro went without him) to the shelter each week so long as the boys woke up on time, and every week Kota would return with a new story about the kitten, whose daring escape attempts hadn't stopped, even after he was deemed well enough to be let into the playroom. Each time Ryu would look at him as if to say _"See? It's been weeks. No one else wants him."_ Even Kotaro's tales of the kitten's exploits were tinged with a hint of wistfulness.

Hayato was not a push over, but he did have one major weakness, and that weakness was named Kashima. Which is how he found himself sighing halfway through dinner just after one of Kotaro's shelter stories.

"Fine." He said, looking at determinedly at the hamburger steak in front of him. "Let's get the cat."

He looked up to find twin expressions of hope spreading across both the brothers' faces and any shred of doubt he harboured was dissolved.

"Only on the condition that we all take care of him equally." He added hastily, for appearance sake. He had no doubt that both Kotaro and Ryu would have to be forcibly dragged away from the fur ball when it came home.

Ryu gave him a blinding grin, and Hayato almost didn't mind that this meant he'd be driving at stupid o'clock in the morning tomorrow. Almost.

XXX

"I'm glad you came back for him." Said Endo, filling out their paperwork in the reception. The kitten lay curled up in Kotaro's arms, purring contentedly.

"So am I." said Ryu, trying to read the documents upside down.

"He just needs a name, and then you're all set."

"Houdini." said Kotaro with conviction, then promptly turned red as all eyes turned on him. "We read about him in English." he offered quietly, "He was an escape artist."

Endo laughed aloud and Hayato's lips quirked upwards. Ryu ruffled his brother's hair fondly.

"That sounds perfect!" he said.

Houdini gave a satisfied chirp, finally seeming happy to stay where he was.

* * *

 _ **A/N- Oh gosh this took so long, I'm sorry! I just started a new job so my free time has gone down drastically. This little story is an expansion of one of my FPIMS headcanons. I loved writing it because I got to put a lot of my local animal shelter into it. It's not quite as big as the one in this fic, but we're trying; and it has a special place in my heart because it's the shelter we adopted my best boy Loki from. As usual you can find me on tumblr as bards-against-hoomanity. My inbox is always open!**_


End file.
